Peterrr Pannn

Today I read Peter Pan, Peter Pan has always been one of my favorite stories. I find that I relate to the characters so much. I have always desired to be eternally youthful more than anything. The concept of living as a boy forever (or a girl in my case) and never growing old is so fascinating. How could anything be more interesting than the idea of eternal fun? I also loved the poem by Carolyn Leigh, “I Won’t Grow Up” it truly captures the stubbornness of a child. When reading Peter Pan I can’t help but wonder if I had the choice to be eternally young, would I take it?

Adam and Eve/ human nature

The concept of curiosity is referenced often in literature. The most famous example is found within The Bible, in the story of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were living in a Utopia which God had created for them, God asked of them only one thing, and that was to not to eat the fruit from the tree of good and evil, of course they did. Curiosity seems to be tied closely to human nature; but is human nature defined by sin? Adam and Eve commit the first act of human nature, which is a “sin.” This sin occurs because of the disobedience and curiosity which seems to be innate within us. All the serpent had to do was to stir Eve’s curiosity. I just think its funny how we discussed the fact that we all have done something disobedient in our lifetime due to curiosity, the more we are told to avoid something the more intrigued we are, I suppose it’s just the human condition.

My Earliest Memory

I have so many early memories it is hard to distinguish one as my first. I suppose I will just recollect my most vivid of the bunch:
I was about four years old and we had just moved from Dallas Texas to Amherst New Hampshire (polar opposites). The house we had moved into was absolutely heinous in retrospect; it had a flat roof and was the color of a pumpkin. However, Moving from Dallas I had never really had a private yard to play in. The prospect was obviously quite exciting; I remember as I was exploring the backyard I found a small shed that my parents had neglected to tell me about because they wanted it to be a surprise. It was probably about 8 feet sq and had low ceilings. The outside was the same pumpkin color and the paint was peeling from what I assume was years of New Hampshire weather. If there was once finish on the walls on the inside it had long come off, and leaves were scattered across the floor; in the middle of the shed my parents had set up a tiny little table with chairs for me to have tea parties. The shed was all mine. To this day I can recall countless memories made in that shed even after we moved to the other side of town. it was right across from what would be my recreational soccer field and in the future I would sneak into it after practices, taking advantage of my parents inability to be on time and the fact that there was no lock. Over the years the house has been completely remodeled four or five times due to its blatant unattractiveness and I do not even know if the shed still resides there, someday I hope to go back and check though.

What Happened to the Notion of a Prince Charming?

Looking at stories such as Cinderella, Rapunzel and Snow White it is hard to ignore the fact that the concept of Prince Charming has completely refashioned itself, if not entirely depleted. The relationship between males and females has always been a fascinating one, and is obviously a dominant theme throughout literary history. Though every literary character has unique and complex characteristics, most are defined by archetypes which appear through the ages. For instance, in fairy tales Prince Charming serves as the classic example of a good looking, well groomed male with a dramatic passion for the heroine. Prince Charming is obviously well off, he has good manners etc. The heroine in these stories is usually a shy, well mannered, intelligent woman who is in some form of distress and requires the assistance of the Prince Charming. Of course there are exceptions to this seeming rule but in the realm of fairy tales they seem to be few and far between. Why is it that in the current day these stories are not only almost nonexistent but often times frowned on. The archetype of the graceful, somewhat shy and modest female has been replaced by cut throat independent women who not only reject the service of men but often use them; and the ever so helpful, eager and resourceful prince has been substituted for by “the bad boy”. Where women used to desire a man who opened the door for them, and “courted” them formally and romantically they now desire men with poor manners who put no effort into “wooing” a female.
Obviously this is not always the case but it does seem to be a prominent theme in modern day entertainment. Did women simply get bored with the nice guy, the prince charming? Perhaps the collapse of Prince Charming simply has to do with a change in the dynamics of society. Most fairy tales which glorify this perfect, attractive and refined man were written in a place and time when women were for the most part powerless to men. Just some interesting thoughts….

boring?

I suppose for the most part we are all “boring”; there is nothing extraordinary about most of us. Our routines only vary slightly from the other college students around us, and we don’t even seem to mind, which is arguably the part that makes us the most “boring”. We prefer to read, watch, or listen about the fascinating things that other people do opposed to doing them ourselves. Even our entertainment is designed so that we can check out of our mundane lives for a while and tap into something more interesting, after a long day, most prefer to relax on the couch and watch a fictional character live their life, pathetic?
Some would argue that we are not “boring,” that no matter how mundane our lives would appear to be on paper, they are actually all unique and interesting, this is a lie. Interesting cannot be determined by the every day.
The question is, does it really matter if we are boring? Perhaps boring people are satisfied with being bored, and those who aren’t should do something about it.